moving with new baby. Are there any baby groups or families to get together?

[A&D&J]

Hello dear Tenerife Forum!

My husband, myself and our new baby (born start of Feb) have the opportunity to manage a couple of holiday rentals for 2-3 years (if we like it then longer term). So we are more than tempted to give up the 9-5 in London and live on Tenerife while our baby is a toddler and BOTH spend time as a family. Not just come home after all day expensive childcare to barely see our child. We are aiming to move July/August.

I have not had much time yet to research lots about what I am going to ask here, so please forgive me if I come across ignorant or if I ask "obvious" questions. Life with a new baby doesn't currently leave much time.

We are looking at the areas of Chayofa, San Juan, Los Menores, Calleo Salvaje for now, as our in-laws also live in that area (and suggested these). Although we are also tempted to move further out/up to rent something a bit cuter more rural. We would like to stay within twenty minute drive of Calleo Salvaje due to the in-laws (Again any suggestions much appreciated).

What is most important to me as a new mum is to meet fellow families so that our baby has playmates, so that I can exchange myself with others and so that we can build up a network of friends with similar interests. I am not sure how to find out about family activities, perhaps meet-ups etc?
Could anyone point me towards anything? We need to learn Spanish (mine is very basic), so currently language wise English and German groups would be ideal until we are more confident with our Spanish.

If you have any general tips on relocating with a young baby I would really appreciate any input and advice.

Again apologies if I ask silly questions which have come up many times, I will get better researching once I settle into the chaos of motherhood a little more. :)

Thank you! Anna
:wave:

[casabonny]

There is a mother and toddler group run by the Christian fellowship in Costa Del Silencio , dont know how often.

[A&D&J]

Thank you both, that's a great starting point. Will be sure to check those out when I go over on the next organisation trip.

[Fivepence]

:welcome: to the forum Anna and congratulations on the birth of your 1st child. :goodluck:

[carpenter]

welcome, and congrats on your newborn.
As a fairly recent 1st time parent myself (7 months) I can only tell you of the concerns about your move that I hope you have covered.

The birth of our son was the final nail in Tenerife's coffin for us (sounds crude but here's why)
Healthcare does not come free and without a contract employed or self employed it is necessary to take out a private healthcare insurance plan. You can't rely on the NHS abroad like so many slack parents do. They move abroad and if there's a health problem they pretend to be on holiday :mad:

Your baby is going to need monthly check ups and vaccinations at 2,4,6,12,18 months and then 3,6,11,14 years.

It is our baby's healthcare and lack of work that brought us back to the UK, it's not a decision to take flippantly. The Spanish vaccinations are administered at different times to the UK ones, some Spanish vaccs aren't even available in the UK so you will have difficulty completing a course if you return to the UK.

My advice is do not make the trip with a newborn unless you know everything, make sure you have a secure work contract if you do and a Spanish promise isn't worth a thing. Get everything in writing.

[Muppet]

Very, very wise words from Carpenter.

My area of concern as well as the above is that you say you will be managing holiday rentals. Are these legal lets of property on a registered Tourismo complex? If so, presumably you are being employed by the sole agent of the complex. If they are not "legal" tourist lets then you are most likely to be opening up an enormous can of worms for yourselves to have to deal with.

There is a thread running here for over 600 pages discussing this exact situation, but, in brief .........

Complex's here are designated either as Residential or Touristic, with some complexes having allowed their licence to drift.

It is illegal to let ANY residential property for holiday use (anything less than 3 months). Long term lets are OK.

Owners of apartments on complexes with Touristic licences are only allowed to let via a single, sole agent appointed by the majority of the owners.

It is illegal to advertise, (and therefore trade) holiday lets via websites such as Owners Direct and similar.

Many owners have recently been fined for breaking the laws, these fines in the order of 15,000 Euro, the current law is being discussed in the Canarian Parliament at the moment and it is understood to likely be even tougher than the existing rules. You must, must, especially given you have a newborn to consider here, make absolutely certain you are not walking into the middle of a minefield.

If this "management job" were to go wrong for you, there are virtually no jobs in the open market - unemployment is currently 34% and getting worse by the month. There is no dole money or healthcare unless you are in proper, legal employment and as for other "perks" like housing benefit, child allowance and so on - no such thing. Oh yes, to be self-employed here is the best part of 300 euro per month for EACH of you if you look to go down that route - not 20 quid each a month as in the UK.

It may be warm and sunny but it is no place to not have a proper job.

Sorry to be blunt.

[A&D&J]

Thank you for your posts.

All very valid points. Thank you for pointing out the health system and vaccination problem.

The rentals, I should have said, belongs to our in-laws. They are retiring and were looking for someone to manage them and offered it to us, taking a cut. We would be on a pay-roll and therefor pay tax etc and be part of the system. I was told being on payroll would mean we are part of the Spanish health system? But we would look to get private health insurance also, to be sure.

Our job will be to keep getting new business for the rentals (my husband works in property and management and marketing in the UK) and see people in and out etc, make sure it's all clean... So in that sense it's not a dodgy contract of someone that can't be trusted. Because we still work in our chosen field we will be able to return to the UK without a gap in the CV.

Our house here will only be rented out, and we are looking at it as more of a temporary move (I would not have sold our house and move out only to find it's not working out for whatever reasons). We don't want to be one of the people that move out with grand ideas and their pockets full of cash to start something, only to find themselves bankrupt 12-18months later as it wasn't thought through.

Hopefully we will be at least semi successful in promoting and marketing the rentals as that will determine the success or lack of of our move over.

Fingers crossed.

EDIT: definitely legal with all paperwork for the villas that we will rent out